Cricket Combines Us!

Cricket is not just a sport, it is no less than religion in India. The festivity and emotions around cricket are palpable in almost every Indian state during major cricket tournaments. The fanfare that cricketers command in India is tremendous. Names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya among many others are larger than life and need no introduction. The love for the sport has gained even more traction in India with the advent of the T20 format that is quick, eye-catching and even more glamourous. While India versus Pakistan was scheduled for the 23rd of October, just a day before Diwali, India’s biggest festival, it was no wonder that Diwali celebrations were contingent on the outcome of the match. And it was indeed a Happy Diwali for India! The streets in India are testimonies to India’s victories and defeats. Streets swelling with people singing and dancing with joy means India’s won a match and vice-versa.

Transcending oceans and borders, there is a very similar craze for cricket that grips Australia, one of the nations that has hitherto performed much better than India in the T20 format. It is a delight to watch Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner and Tim David among other Australian cricketers adorn and perform on their home turf at iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney Cricket Ground among others. The excitement around cricket can be easily felt here in Australia with pubs, bars and restaurants witnessing a spike in their businesses whenever Australia wins a match.

The green stadiums are glittering with even greater euphoria with Diwali and other major India festivals converging with Halloween. Sports is indeed consolidating the bond between the two nations attested by the visit of India’s Foreign Minister earlier this month. With Australia hosting the second-most number of international students and the second-highest proportions of diasporas from India vis-à-vis other countries, the camaraderie between the two nations is then not just limited to cricket. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is a cornerstone partnership for our economic, energy and educational ties, common interests in securing the Indo- Pacific region and deepening diplomatic relations. When it comes to finding common ground between two vastly different countries, the cult of cricket is forever uniting and amalgamating India and Australia. Cricket is a topic that can be an icebreaker for a common Indian frequenting a venue full of local Aussies in Australia and viceversa, just as it is the starting point of dialogues between the leaders of the two nations. With social media accounts of both Modi and Albanese abuzz with congratulatory messages with regards to the World Cup, the game of cricket goes beyond just sports and holds the key to the fortune of the relationship between the two countries.